I have always liked tea light candles for some reason. Anyway, I found some on sale yesterday for 1/2 price so I bought six boxes. That gives me 600 tea light candles. They are obviously good for light if the power goes out. I prefer to use the lantern style holder like the one in the video. The tea light candles are so small and easy to carry I am thinking they would make good bartering items if SHTF. I was trying to think of other uses besides light. Any ideas? Has anyone tried cooking with these or heating water? I was planning to make some kind of cook stove and give it a try to see what happens.

Would it be worth it to melt some down into larger containers for a bigger flame source? Sometimes these can be purchased for deep discounts, and they're a good wax product. Would they work to make the tuna can candles? I don't know how much wax it takes to make one of those. Would a tea light have enough?

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Would it be worth it to melt some down into larger containers for a bigger flame source? Sometimes these can be purchased for deep discounts, and they're a good wax product. Would they work to make the tuna can candles? I don't know how much wax it takes to make one of those. Would a tea light have enough?

I have made several tuna can candles using various sized wicks. Larger wicks like out of a lantern, of course produce the most heat and light but if left unattended, the wax will melt in the can and the wicks fall over. Smaller wicks will burn longer before falling over but prodiuce less heat. Neither are worth the effort in my opinion. I'd rather just use cardboard in tuna cans.

I have been experimenting with the tea light candles. I was able to cook Ramen Noodles. I used an Esbit stove and put 3 tea light candles in the stove. Then I used some tinfoil around the bottom to hold the heat in better. It took about 25 minutes to cook the noodles at a simmer with the lid on. If one was careful, this is something that could be done inside because there is very little smoke. If you don't know what an Esbit stove is, this video shows how they work. By the way, the fuel tablets for the Esbit stove really stink.

I was at a friends A Frame recently and the elec went out. We had 8 guests show up and were able to cook spaghetti on the wood stove but lighting was a problem. The host only had 2 candles. I had two flashlights and two cyalume light sticks with me. Long story short - After that, I went out and got 4 boxes of tea lights at the dollar store and now carry them in my truck.

As a heat or cooking source, I've used two or three to boil water and it still takes a long time to do so. I have found that putting them in an improvised lantern (For me mostly a aluminum can with a side cut out) they tend to throw off a good bit of light and it's a little safer then having a trail of small candles throughout ones home.